Early goals set the tone as Alfreton Town beat Gainsborough Trinity

While it was a night to forget for the visitors, clad in their luminous volt change kit, as Dominic Roma’s newly assembled squad suffered a rude awakening on in Derbyshire.

Just 90 seconds had elapsed when Andy Monkhouse took aim from 20 yards, his low drive clipping Craig Westcarr en route with the latter eventually credited with the goal for Alfreton.

Three minutes later Ryan Wilson had the ball in the net only to be ruled off-side, but a poor back-pass from Jake Picton led to Alfreton’s second goal in the seventh minute. keeper Jake Eastwood hacking the ball against Dan Bradley which allowed the Reds’s skipper to score from six yards.

Tom Allan’s back post header from a 16th minute Wilson corner was only just off target, and a Westcarr free-kick was held by Eastwood before Gainsborough’s first real opening saw James Reid’s shot parried by Fabian Spiess and Brad McGowan blocked the follow-up from Matt Thornhill.

It was 3-0 after 33 minutes though when Westcarr sprayed the ball out to the right for Bradley to run on to and steer past Eastwood for his second goal of the night, the first half concluding with Westcarr’s scuffed shot from another accurate Wilson corner.

With Trinity trailing at the break, Roma made one change, introducing Nathan Jarman for Jacob Hazel, but it was the visitors who found themselves on the back foot again.

Nine minutes after the break Monkhouse tested the keeper with a header from a Wilson free-kick and Allan went close with a rasping drive from distance, but former Alfreton striker Nathan Jarman was desperately unlucky not to reduce the deficit for Gainsborough when his audacious shot from wide right smashed against the near post.

There was further misery for the visitors when former Reds’ favourite Matt Wilson was red-carded for a dreadful foul on Cecil Nyoni with 21 minutes remaining, but they kept plugging away in vain with Spiess having to tip over two shots from Reid.

In between those two efforts though sub Sam Smith latched on to a poor defensive clearance to loop a header over Eastwood with virtually his first touch in the 85th minute.

ALFRETON: Spiess, Harding, Jordan, McGowan, Allan (Kennedy 85), Nyoni, Monkhouse, Bradley, Wilson (Heaton 76), Clayton (Smith 83), Westcarr. Subs not used: Garnett, Doyle.

TRINITY: Eastwood, Picton, Lacey, Thornhill, Quinn, Wilson, Wiles (Scott 65’) Reid, Hazel (Jarman 45’) Worsfold (Thewliss 60’) Rothery. Subs not used: Evans, Hedge.

Attendance: 445.